Breaking Point
by m-is-for-MollyMansfieldMealing
Summary: When Connie reaches breaking point, she turns to the trusty alcohol cabinet in her living room. One shot prompted from the winter trailer :D


**Hey there! So, I watched the winter trailer on the website and it gave me so many ideas for fanfics! Here's just one of them :D this is going to remain a one shot, and I hope you enjoy! The Grace is the opposite to the one in my main fic, "It was like seeing a ghost", so just bear that in mind. Enjoy, and pease review if you get the chance! -Sophie x**

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><p>She couldn't take it anymore. Connie grabbed her bag and shot out of her office before Zoe caught her, walking straight through to reception and out to her car, despite the fact her shift didn't end for another hour.<p>

She drove home, hands gripping the steering wheel tight until her fingers went red and her knuckles were white, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to make an appearance. She parked outside her house and opened the door. Dumping her bag on the coat rack, Connie slammed the door shut and walked straight into the living room, grabbing the first alcoholic beverage she could lay her hands on. She poured herself a large glass and collapsed on the sofa, before letting out a heartbreaking sob as the tears started to flow.

I've failed my only daughter, she thought as she downed her glass and poured another one, feeling an immediate change in herself as the hot, fiery liquid burned the back of her throat. She'd always been an unpredictable drunk- her mood swinging for one to another, which was why the woman never drank outside the comforts of her own home. But this time, she knew it wasn't the drink talking.

Grace was what the psychiatrists would call a "troubled child". And it was all Connie's fault- she was her mother, her only parent. Her father had abandoned them for America years ago when Grace was small. Small and innocent, needing her mothers love.

But she couldn't give it to her. Instead, the doctor whisked her off to a posh boarding school in the country, to be brought up by her schoolteachers instead. They weren't harsh at Merryfield's, they just implemented good discipline. They had to, otherwise the children would run wild. Grace never got any love from her mother as she grew from the innocent toddler that she was, to the troublesome 7 year old she'd become. Each time she went home for the holidays, there would always be a new nanny there to collect her from the station, and she would only see her mother for an hour or so in the evening, and that was it.

She was encouraged to go play on her electronic devices whenever it came to the weekend, or the nanny's days off.

"Mummy's busy." She'd say distracted, usually with work or her current male friend, "go play on your iPad."

Looking back on this now, Connie realised just how detached she'd been with her. She sobbed even harder, howling into sodden tissues that lay littered around her. She'd undone her immaculate hair, letting it down so it covered her shoulders. The woman ran her hands through it repeatedly, messing it up until she looked like a mad woman- her eyes red rimmed and bloodshot, hair messy and full of bits of tissues, her breath reeking of the strong alcoholic liquid she was pouring down her neck like water.

Connie wondered for a fleeting second where her daughter was now, until she came to the realisation that if it wasn't for the attention seeking little cow, she wouldn't be in this bloody mess!

Yeah, she thought, it's not her fault Grace behaves so badly. The school should have drummed some discipline into her! It's not like she can control her every move is it? The girl was her own person.

The former clinical lead let her head back and laughed deliriously, spilling half of her glass on the sofa, before her thoughts drifted to her work.

"Oh if you could sssee me now Doctor Hanna!" She slurred, laughing at herself, "I wonder what you might sssay?!"

As if to answer her question, there was a loud rapping at the door.

"Who isss it?" She called, giggling to herself.

"It's Zoe. Open the door." Her boss replied curtly, obviously unimpressed.

"Just a minuteee."

The doctor got up and wobbled her way over to the hallway, where she grabbed the wall for stability. She made her way to the door and opened it to find Zoe in her work clothes, glaring at her. Connie leaned against the doorframe seductively.

"Oooh Dr Hanna, what can I do for you?" She asked in a girly voice, grinning as her colleagues eyes widened.

"Are you drunk?" She asked incredulously, then the alcohol fumes hit her.

"No!" Connie spluttered, "as if!"

"Get inside right now Connie Beauchamp." Zoe said angrily and shoved her inside before shutting the door behind them. "Go and sit down on your sofa, and don't even think about touching that drink."

"Wow, rude." Connie muttered, stumbling her way into the living room once more.

When Zoe saw the state of the sofa, she softened a little. The wide scattering of tissues was a clear indicator that she had had a breakdown in here, all alone. The clinical lead perched on part of the sofa that was covered in snotty tissues, and turned to look at her. Connie was holding her glass and another bottle of alcohol.

"I don't think so missy." Zoe said sharply before she grabbed the bottle and glass and placed them on the floor next to her. "Right, what's going on. I know it's Grace, that much is obvious." She said, her voice gentle. Connie looked down at her hands for a bit.

"Connie? Please speak to me. I know we're not the best of buds but I can help you-"

"It's all my fault." She interrupted, her eyes starting to brim with tears again.

"What is." She probed.

"The way she acts. Grace, I mean, she's a wild child. I never spent any time with her when she was little. She even told me once that she wished her teacher was her mummy, not me. "She loves me more than you. She hugs me and tells me everything will be ok. You don't." I quote, from last year when she came home for Christmas." Connie sobbed, scrambling around her for a cleaner tissue. Zoe opened a packet she had in her pocket and offered her one, watching as her former boss' hands shook with both drink and sheer upset as she took a tissue and wiped her eyes with it.

"I'm sure she didn't mean it Connie. She was only six, she was probably just upset." Zoe said, trying to comfort the sobbing wreck that collapsed in front of her.

"And what do you think she was upset? I never gave her attention, that's why! I was always so bloody busy, putting my work and boyfriends before my one and only daughter- the only member of my family I have left. I'm such an _idiot_!." She screamed, grabbing an empty whiskey bottle from the table and hurling it at the wall. Zoe watched as the brown glass shattered into hundreds of sharp, tiny pieces- just like the life of the woman in front of her, who had keeled over to the floor, howling.

Zoe knelt down next to Connie and pulled her close like a child, so the woman's sobbing head was resting on her shoulder. Zoe gently rubbed her back as she soaked the top of her dress with tears.

The two stayed like that until Zoe spoke up.

"I was talking to Grace before I left. All she wants is to spend more time with you, get to know her mum a bit better, that's all. You know, she deliberately got herself expelled and suspended in the hope of spending more time with you- even if you were angry." She whispered, "She's prepared to forgive you for everything in the past, which is very mature for a 7 year old. You should be proud of her- she'll grow up to be just as strong and resilient as you if you're lucky." Connie could sense a smile in her colleagues voice, and she lifted her heavy head from her boss' shoulder, suddenly a little embarrassed.

"Really?" She asked, wiping her eyes.

"Yes. Underneath her anger, there's just a child that needs her mother Connie." Zoe said simply, smiling sadly at her. "She needs you."

"I can't see her like this." She replied, looking down at herself. "Where is she now? It's gone 8."

"I told her nanny to take her out for tea, then she's coming for a sleepover at mine so you can have some time to yourself." Zoe explained, "I came round to grab some of her clothes and her toothbrush."

"Oh, oh ok. It's been a while since she's stayed with you." Connie said, getting up before collapsing on the sofa, holding her head.

"Come on Ice Queen, let's get you to bed." Zoe said, getting up herself.

"I don't need any help. And don't call me that." Connie muttered, taking a few tentative steps before the room span and she collapsed onto her boss' arm.

"Look, you're sobering up already." Zoe grinned, letting Connie keep hold of her arm as they made their way to her bedroom. The woman collapsed onto her bed as soon as she got there, and moaned herself to sleep.

Zoe pulled the covers from underneath her and tucked her in, before grabbing some paracetamol and water from her bag and placing them on her bedside table, next to her mobile phone. She grabbed some paper from her diary and wrote a quick note for when she woke up. After making sure she was on her side incase she vomited and the curtains were closed, Zoe went to Grace's room to collect her things, before grabbing her house keys from the table in the hall and locking up. She then posted the keys through the letter box, and hoped for the best- she'd done all she could.

The next morning Connie awoke to an earth shattering headache and stomach churning nausea. She lay there trying to remember the previous nights events but without much success. When she felt she could move without her brain or guts exploding, the woman pushed herself up until she was sitting upright. It was then she noticed the paracetamol and water. She took it gratefully and opened the note Zoe had left her. It read;

"_Connie,_

_I know you probably won't remember what happened last night, so here's a few key points-_

_-You got so pissed it was on a level even I couldn't compete with_

_-You tried to seduce me at your door_

_-You had a complete and utter breakdown and ended up sobbing on my shoulder after throwing an empty bottle at your wall (have fun cleaning that up)_

_But most importantly, you found out that all Grace wants is her mother. To be there for her and to spend more time with her._

_Don't fret, I've got her here with me and I'll keep her until you're well enough to have her home again._

_Make a big fuss of her won't you? And for gods sake, don't go drinking like that again. Trust me sweetheart, the hangover really isn't worth it as I'm sure you're experiencing now. I'm the queen of drowning my sorrows so take it from me- don't make this a regular habit. If there's something bothering you, talk to someone! We're all allowed to have feelings you know, there's no shame in that._

_Hope you recover soon,_

_Zoe xx_

_P.S- I expect you to make up the hour you missed yesterday next week. I've got a lovely pile of reports you need to sign! ;)_"

Connie smiled as she read. Last night was a huge mistake- one she definitely won't be making ever again. Grace needs her now. She has to be loving and strong for her daughter, not icy and dismissive as she usually was.

Her life was about to make a huge turn around, and this time- for the good.


End file.
